Hen&#39;s nest



July 28, 41925. 1,547,851'

H. VIDETTO vHENs Nns'r Filed Nov. l10. 1924 BY v ' ATTORNEnYj` Patented July 28, 1925.

HnNs Nasr.

Application ledvNoveniber 101924, Serial No. 748,82

f improvements is to provide a trap nest the doors of which are `clo'sed'by the weight of the henfon the nest. Another object of my improvements is to provide a hens nest the doors Yofwhich;V can be adjusted either to s; open when the hen leaves the nest and allow her freedom to lpass'thro'ugh said doors, or to remain closed onceshe is on the nesttill opened by an operative, Anotherobject of my. improvements is to provide "atrapnest having a back door through'l whichv eggs can be removed without seriously d-isturbing the hen. Another obj eet of my improvements is to provide a nest which affords the hen, complete privacy and protection from light. Anda further object of myimprovement is to provide a trap nest ofI simple` and not vexpensive construction, attractive to the hen and easily cleaned and disinfected.

I attain these `objects with the mechanism illustrated in. the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Figure 1 is a side eleva-y tion of my hens nest partly in vertical section, Fig. 2 is a front end elevation of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a rear end elevation with the doors closed, Fig. 4: is a bottom plan view of the nest tray and nest platform ywithout the nest house and doors, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of one of the counterweights.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout. Certain parts are broken away to show other parts hidden thereby.

More particularly: A. wooden floor has a platform part 6 outside and an inside part 7 which constitutes the entire inside floor eX- cepting the nest tray. These parts of the floor are nearly severed kby door slideways 9, 9. A nest house 10 consists of a top, sides reaching below both floor and nest tray and a rearend 11 having a door opening 12,

closable by sliding door 13 in slideways 14.'

By preference the house is made of galvanized sheet metal. The sides of ho-use 10 are fastened to the edges of floor 7 Nest tray 15 has hooks 16, 16 fastened to its rear edge and a chatting bar 17 fastened trans- `versallyr to its bottoni externally. vTwo hooks 18 are fastened to the rearend 11 of the house near its bottom adapted 'for engaf-gement by tray hooks 16., ll/Vhen nest tray 15 is hung on saidhools its front end is fr'ee to oscillate thereon. .TwoV suspendinglbars 19, preferably of'wood, have their rear ends pivoted to the nest tray bottom by bolts;` 20, 20 and lie onfor'undernleath cliafli'i'igbarl. Bars 19 entend forward to door slidevvays 9, 9'and each has a pivotpin 21` infits front end projecting forward. `F-ront`dloors 22, `22 .are each pivoted onone of bolts which are mounted in knees 24, 211e fast to floor 7 beneath. Stop knees '25,; fare fastened'V to doors 22 to limit Ytheiroutward swing by bearingon platform 6., Pivot pins 21 engagev in' holes inV the lower ifnnercorners of "doors 22. Pivot bolts; 23 `are 4nearer the,V inner edges than ,the outer edges ofv doors .p 22 which ca /uses the doors tooverbalance outwardly and thus' doors 2,2 normallystand Oren @Seller-vili full lines in Fia 2s. emeritfor counterbalances'26 ,.26; Each of these counterbalanees yhasl av weight 26,' neck? 29 and fhead30. On'th'e `in'nei'*-vedges ofdoors. u

22 are fastened clips 27 each of which has-,a slot 28." 'counterweifght 26; 'is .hung lon' eachyone. vof doors` 22, by engagingnfe'ck'29 in- Islot l28 offone of clips 27'""When doors 22 stand open, as shown in full lines in Fig.v 2, counterweights 26 are nearly vertically over pivot bolts 23 and said weights have little effect in retaining'said vdoors in their open position. But when doors 22 are in their closed position at 22 weights 26 are at 26 and each exercises a turning moment around one of pivots 23 toretain said doors in their closed position. Counterweights 26 are sufficiently heavy to overhala-nce the doors, when the same are in a vertical or closed position, to retain them in said closed position against the operation of small forces. However, when weights 26 are not in place in clips 27 said doors are overbalanced outwardly and normally assume their open position at 22. i

l/Vhen said doors areopen pressure applied downwardly in nest tray 15 will cause the front end of said tray to move downward about hooks 16, 18 and carry pivot pins 21 downward also. This tray movement vcontinued will bring pins 21 to their lower limit atv 21 which has caused doors l22 to move to their closed position at 22. If eounterweights 26 are in place on said doors, the doors will remain closed, as eX- plained; but if said weights have been removed, the doors 22 will return to their open position when the pressure no longer operates to depress nest tray 15. When the forward end of bars 19 move downward with pins 21 they are caused to spread apart by the downward and outward movements of said pivot pins in arcs about pivot bolts 23. rIhis movement is provided for by pivot Vbolts 20 in the rear ends of bars 19. And

to prevent needless friction between said bars and the tray bottom chaiiing bar 17 is used to provide a slide for said bars.

My nest is constructed to require less than the weight of a hen in nest tray 15 to provide suiiicient downward pressure on pins 21 to close doors 22 when they are in their full-line positions shown in Fig. 2.

In operation: Straw anda nest egg are placed in tray 15, which, when doors 22 stand open, prove attractive to a hen under oviparous urge and she passes through between said open doors on to Hoor 7 from which she steps on to nest tray 17. Her weight on this tray causes doors 22 to close behind her and she finds herself in a darkened enclosure, protected from other hens possessed with the urge to annoy her, and she can proceed to obtain natural relief under conditions which please her very well. Having been relieved of the egg she steps from the nest tray on to floor 7. If weights 26 are in clips 27, doors 22 remain closed and she must remain within the nest house till an operative forcibly opens said doors, picks her up and examines her tag to record her number, after the practice followed when trap-nesting laying hens. But if the nest is not being used for trap-nesting purposes, then weights 26 are not hung on doors 22 and when the hen leaves the nest tray and steps on floor 7 doors 22 immediately swing open and she is free to pass out and leave the nest available for another occupant.

In practice I have found that hens are so well pleased with the privacy, protection and seclusion afforded by this nest that they will, in the presence of empty nests of the usual kind, await an opportunity to use this nest as long as nature will permit.

Having thus disclosed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. In a hens nest in combination, a nest house, a vertically oscillatable nest tray within said house, a normally open pivoted door adapted to swing on its pivot and close the entrance to said nest tray, operative connections between said nest tray and said door, and a counterweight attachable to said door vertically with said pivot when said door is open having a lesser leverage when said door is open than when said door is closed.

2. In a hens nest in combination, a nest house, an oseillatable nest tray within said house, normally open pivoted doors adapted to swing toward each other on their pivots and close the entrance to said house, operative connections between said nest tray and said doors, and removable counterweights on said doors vertically with said pivots when said doors are open having lesser leverages when said doors are open than when said doors are closed.

HAROLD VIDETTO. 

